The city of Waukesha’s request for Lake Michiganwater is the first of its kind under the Great Lakes Water Compact, and with itcomes scrutiny. Here are some of the biggest questions about Waukesha’srequest, and how it will be handled in Wisconsinand by the Compact’s partners.
Q: Hasn’t Waukesha gotten the OK topurchase Lake Michigan water? The mayoralready has been discussing potential deals with officials from Milwaukee, Oak Creek and Racine.
A: Waukesha hasn’t gotten the OK yet,although its Common Council recently voted to move ahead with its request for Great Lakes water (over the reservations of new MayorJeff Scrima). After years of study, Waukeshahas sent materials to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which isnow conducting a preliminary review.
Q: Does Waukesha really need Lake Michigan water?
A: The majority of the Waukesha Common Council thinks so, although MayorScrima has said that the city hasn’t looked at all of its options other than Lake Michigan water. Environmental groups are alsoquestioning the request, saying that Waukeshacould do more to conserve water as well as treat and reuse its wastewater.“They have a sustainable water supply for the next few decades if they conserveit,” said Cheryl Nenn, the Milwaukee Riverkeeper.
But DanDuchniak, the general manager of the Waukesha Water Utility, says that thereare only three options: groundwater, water from the deep aquifer and Lake Michigan water. The groundwater and deep aquiferwater sources are limited and have contamination, making Lake Michigan water the preferred source for the long term.
“I dobelieve that if we do go with another alternative, whether it be groundwater orone of the groundwater alternatives, at some point down the road the residentsof Waukeshawill be facing the same issue,” Duchniak said.
Q: Why is Waukeshaasking for twice as much water as it currently uses? Won’t this fuel moresuburban sprawl?
A: Currently, Waukesha uses about 9 million gallons of water daily (mgd),but it’s asking for a total of 18.5 mgd of Great Lakes water, which representsits maximum daily demand in about a hundred years. “That would happen maybefive or six times a year if at all,” Duchniak said. The average day’sconsumption would be about 10.9 mgd decades from now.
Q: If Waukesha’s request for its ultimatewater use is approved under the Compact, would it immediately start drawing itsmaximum amount of requested water from Lake Michigan?
A: No. Although Waukeshais requesting 18 mgd for its ultimate water needs, it’s making a short-termrequest of about 9.5 mgd for its immediate needs. Waukesha and the DNR would revisit the issueevery 20 years and adjust the water amount if necessary. In that way,Wisconsinnot the Great Lakes statesoversees the amount of Lake Michigan waterto be sent to Waukesha.
“Thegovernors don’t want you coming back all the time and requesting more and morewater,” Duchniak said. “They just want to have one large request and have thestate deal with those smaller requests.”
That said,if Waukesha gets the go-ahead for its short-termneeds of 9.5 mgd, it would stop pumping from its deep aquifer, which is beingdepleted rapidly, and start using Lake Michiganwater. But it would also begin building infrastructure that could handle itsmaximum daily demand of 18.5 mgd from the lake.
Q: What will happen to the water that’s withdrawn from Lake Michigan?
A: Under the Compact guidelines, Waukeshawill have to return it to Lake Michigan asclean as it was when it was withdrawn. The city plans to treat the water, thensend it to Underwood Creek, which flows into the Great Lakes basin.
ButRiverkeeper Nenn questions this plan, saying the creeklike most urbanwaterwaysis already under stress and could be further degraded by plans toreconstruct and possibly expand the Zoo Interchange. That would increase runoffto Underwood Creek and Honey Creek.
Q: Will the DNR rubber stamp Waukesha’srequest and allow the city to start purchasing Lake Michigan water?
A: The DNR doesn’t have the ultimate say in whether Waukesha will receive the water. Right now,it’s conducting a preliminary review of Waukesha’sdata. According to Shaili Pfeiffer of the DNR’s Bureau of Drinking Water andGroundwater, Waukesha must make its case under Wisconsin law and under the Great Lakes Water Compactguidelines. To do so, Pfeiffer said, Waukesha must show that there is noreasonable alternative to Lake Michigan waterthat local water sources andconservation efforts won’t meet its needsand that the water will be returnedto Lake Michigan in good condition.
The DNRcould find that Waukesha doesn’t need Lake Michigan water. It could ask Waukesha to do more studies. Or it could findthat Waukeshahas submitted enough information and has made its case. If or when thathappens, the DNR will finalize the application and send it to the Compactpartners.
Q: What role will the other Great Lakes Compact states play?
A: If the DNR approves Waukesha’sapplication, it will send the material to the Compact’s Regional Body, which ismade up of representatives from the eight Great Lakesstates and two Canadian provinces. It will analyze the application and make arecommendation within 90 days. It could recommend approval, rejection orprovisional approval if certain conditions are met.
Thatrecommendation will go to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin WaterResources Council, which is made up of the eight states only, without theCanadian provinces. The council must consider the recommendation and take avote, but no deadline is set for that vote. A single “no” vote would deny therequest, although a state may abstain from voting if it wishes. That wouldindicate that the state doesn’t necessarily agree with the request, but it’snot going to stand in the way of the water diversion. Politically, it wouldlessen the chances that a rejected state would retaliate in the future and voteagainst another state’s application.
Q: Do Wisconsin residents have any sayin this?
A: A little, but not a whole lot. Right now, the DNR is conducting apublic comment period on the scope of the application’s Environmental ImpactStatement. In plain English, that means that the public can send the DNR thetopics it wants the department to consider during its review of Waukesha’s application.For more information, or to submit a topic, go to dnr.wi.gov/org/water/dwg/WaukeshaDiversionApp.htm.
The DNR willalso post all of the materials related to the application on its website andconduct at least one public hearing if it goes ahead with Waukesha’sapplication.
